Sports glove

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to sports gloves with support elements and systems integrated therein. An example glove includes a base portion and a plurality of finger portions, at least one of the finger portions including a finger engagement element located within the finger portion and adapted to extend over a back portion of the wearer&#39;s finger when the glove is being worn to resiliently bias the front of the finger portion against the front of the wearer&#39;s finger.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of athletic appareland, more particularly, to sports gloves with support elements andsystems integrated therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gloves are utilized in a number of sports to both provide protection forthe hands of the wearer and to improve the performance of the athlete.Such gloves are extensively used in sports such as soccer, field and icehockey, baseball, lacrosse, etc. and are used, for example, by soccergoalkeepers to provide padding and protection for the goalkeepers' handsand to improve the goalkeepers' grip of the soccer ball. However, due tolimitations on the fit of the glove as a result of the need toincorporate significant padding and other protective elements, and therequirement that the glove fit a variety of hand sizes, these sportsgloves can often feel loose on the hand, and especially the fingers, andas a result can fail to perform to the requirements of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes an improved sports glove having one ofmore finger engagement elements (or finger slings) that are adapted tobeneficially bias the finger of the wearer against the front of theglove to improve the fit and feel of the glove (and thereby improve thewearer's ability to grip and control the ball, stick, or other objectbeing gripped) without negatively impacting the flexibility and comfortof the glove.

A first aspect of the invention includes a glove and, for example, asports glove for use in sports such as soccer, lacrosse, field and icehockey, or baseball. The glove includes a base portion and a pluralityof finger portions, with each of the finger portions including a firstmaterial region adapted to cover a front of a wearer's finger when theglove is being worn, a second material region adapted to cover a back ofthe wearer's finger when the glove is being worn, a first seamconnecting the first material region to the second material region on afirst side of the finger portion, and a second seam connecting the firstmaterial region to the second material region on a second side of thefinger portion. At least one finger portion further includes a fingerengagement element, or finger sling, located between the first materialregion and the second material region and extending from the first seamto the second seam or extending from one or more locations on the firstmaterial region and/or the second material region, the finger engagementelement adapted to extend over a back portion of the wearer's fingerwhen the glove is being worn and to resiliently bias the front of thewearer's finger against the first material region.

In one embodiment, the finger engagement element includes a resilientmaterial and, for example, includes, or consists essentially of, anelongate elastic textile material. The elastic textile material may beformed from a material such as, but not limited to, natural rubber,synthetic rubber, polyester-polyurethane copolymer, polychloroprene,elastene, spandex, EVA, polyester, latex, and/or a polyester/latexcomposite. The finger engagement element can extend over any appropriateportion of the finger(s) of a wearer and, for example, may be formed asan elongate strip of resilient material extending over at least aportion of at least one of the distal phalange region, the intermediatephalange region, the proximal phalange region, and/or the jointstherebetween of the finger and glove. The elongate strip of elongateresilient material can, for example, have a width of between about 10%to about 50% of a length of the finger portion, or between about 20% toabout 40% percent of a length of the finger portion, or between about30% to about 40% of the length of the finger portion. In one embodiment,the finger engagement element includes a plurality of strips ofresilient material, each strip of material extending over at least aportion of at least one of the distal phalange region, the intermediatephalange region, the proximal phalange region, and/or the jointstherebetween of the fingers of the wearer of the glove.

The second material region can include a first gusset portion extendingfrom the first seam proximate a first side of the wearer's finger and asecond gusset portion extending from the second seam proximate a secondside of the wearer's finger with a backhand portion extending over aback of the glove and connecting to the first gusset portion and thesecond gusset portion. The first gusset portion and second gussetportion can be formed from a different material from that of the firstmaterial region and backhand portion. The finger engagement element may,in certain embodiments, be attached to at least one of the first andsecond gusset portions.

In one embodiment, the first seam is integrally connected to the secondseam proximate a distal tip of the finger portion. The first materialregion and second material region may be stitched together at the firstseam and second seam by at least one thread. Alternatively, or inaddition, the first material region and second material region may bebonded together at the first seam and second seam by one or more bondingagent and, for example, an adhesive bonding agent. In one embodiment,the finger engagement element is connected to the first seam and secondseam by the at least one thread used to connect the first materialregion to the second material region. Alternatively, or in addition, thefinger engagement element may be stitched or bonded to at least aportion of the first material region and/or second material region.

The finger engagement element may, in one embodiment, further include aconnection element connecting the finger engagement element to at leasta portion of the second material region. The connection element may beadapted to hold the finger engagement element open, away from the firstmaterial region. In one embodiment, at least one of the first materialregion and the second material region of the glove can include at leastone flex element and/or at least one padding element.

Another aspect of the invention includes a glove having a base portion,a thumb portion, and a plurality of finger portions, each finger portionincluding a first material region adapted to cover a front of a wearer'sfinger when the glove is being worn, a second material region adapted tocover a back of the wearer's finger when the glove is being worn, afirst seam connecting the first material region to the second materialregion on a first side of the finger portion and a second seamconnecting the first material region to the second material region on asecond side of the finger portion. A plurality of the finger portionsand, for example, the finger portions cover the first, second, third,and fourth fingers of a wearer, further include a finger engagementelement formed, at least in part, from a strip of resilient materiallocated between the first material region and the second material regionand extending from the first seam to the second seam within the fingerportion, the finger engagement element adapted to extend over at leastone of the distal phalange region and the intermediate phalange regionof the glove and extend over a back portion of the wearer's fingers whenthe glove is being worn to resiliently bias the front of the wearer'sfingers against the first material region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention. In the followingdescription, various embodiments of the present invention are described.

FIG. 1A is a front view of a sports glove, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a rear view of the sports glove of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a front view of another sports glove, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2B is a rear view of the sports glove of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a cutaway side view of a finger portion of a sports gloveincorporating a finger sling, in accordance with some embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 3B is a sectional end view of the finger portion of FIG. 3A throughsection A-A;

FIG. 3C is a sectional side view of the finger portion of FIG. 3Bthrough section B-B;

FIG. 4A is a cutaway side view of a finger portion of a sports gloveincorporating a multi-element finger sling, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4B is a sectional end view of the finger portion of FIG. 4A throughsection A-A;

FIG. 4C is a sectional side view of the finger portion of FIG. 4Bthrough section B-B;

FIG. 5A is a cutaway end view of a finger portion of a sports gloveincorporating a finger sling, in accordance with some embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 5B is a cutaway end view of a finger portion of a sports gloveincorporating a first alternative finger sling, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 5C is a cutaway end view of a finger portion of a sports gloveincorporating a second alternative finger sling, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 5D is a cutaway end view of a finger portion of a sports gloveincorporating a third alternative finger sling, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of a portion of a sports gloveincorporating finger slings, in accordance with some embodiments of theinvention; and

FIG. 6B is another front perspective view of the sports glove of FIG.6A.

These and other objects, along with advantages and features of thepresent invention herein disclosed, will become more apparent throughreference to the following description, the accompanying drawings, andthe claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the features of thevarious embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and canexist in various combinations and permutations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention described herein is directed towards an athletic glovehaving an improved internal securing mechanism that optimizes theinteraction between the fingers of the wearer and the front surface ofthe glove and therefore provides improved gripping performance and touchbetween the hand of the wearer and the object being caught, held, and/orthrown. The invention can be used as athletic gloves for a variety ofsports and activities, such as for soccer goalkeeper gloves, baseballgloves, or gloves for ice hockey, field hockey, or lacrosse.

Given that the relative dimensions (e.g., overall size, finger length,joint length, finger size, palm size, etc.) of athletes' hands varygreatly, traditionally, athletic gloves and, for example, goalkeepergloves for soccer, must be sized and configured to comfortably fit awide range of hand and finger sizes and shapes. As a result, regions ofthe glove, and especially the finger portions of the glove, are oftenoversized for the fingers of the average wearer and, therefore, areloosely fitted over the fingers of the athlete. This loose fit of thefingers within the glove can have a significantly detrimental effect onthe performance of the gloves with, for example, the fingers movingabout within the glove and potentially the wearer losing her grip on anobject being held and reducing the touch sensation (“feel”) between thehand and the object being held. For example, a soccer goalkeeper tryingto catch, hold, and/or throw a ball may find the front surface of theglove moving with respect to the fingers (e.g., sliding over the fingeror even separating away from the finger), thereby weakening the grippingforce between the hand and the ball and reducing the ability to securelycatch and hold the ball and to accurately direct the ball when pushingthe ball (during a defensive motion) or throwing the ball.

The invention disclosed herein solves this problem by providing one ormore finger engagement element (or internal finger sling) that holds thefront of the finger, or fingers, against the front wall of the fingerportions of the gloves without reducing the flexibility of the glove ornegatively impacting the full, unencumbered motion of the hand of theathlete. As a result, the front of the gloves will not separate from thefingers or slide across the fingers, thereby ensuring that the gloveretains a consistent and optimized position over the hand and fingersand provides the hand with optimized feel and control over any objectbeing handled. This is achieved without the need for the insertion ofstiff and cumbersome stability and protection elements in the fingers ofthe glove that can significantly reduce the flexibility of the glove andthereby reduce the ability of the glove to perform in an optimizedmanner.

Example gloves 100 for use by a soccer goalkeeper are shown in FIGS.1A-1B and 2A-2B. FIGS. 1A through 2B show a right-hand glove 100, with acorresponding left-hand glove usually being a mirror image thereof. Theglove 100 includes a front portion 105 for covering the front of thehands of a wearer (i.e., the palm of the hand and the front of thefingers) and a rear or back portion 110 for covering the back of thewearer's hand (i.e., the back of the palm or base portion 115 and theback of the fingers). The glove 100 further includes a base portion 115for covering the palm and backside of the base of the hand, includingthe region of the hand containing the metacarpal and carpal bones, awrist portion 120 for extending around the wrist of the wearer, and aplurality of digit or finger portions 125 (including a thumb portion130) covering the fingers and thumb of the wearer (including the distalphalanges, intermediate phalanges, proximal phalanges, and the jointstherebetween). The wrist portion 120 can include a fastening element 135for releasably fastening the glove 100 onto the wearer's hand. Thefastening element 135 may include an elastic strap having hook-and-eyefastening elements attached thereto, or include, or consist essentiallyof, any other appropriate fastening means (e.g., buckle, snaps, etc.).

In one embodiment, webbing elements and, for example, stretchablewebbing elements may extend between at least two finger portions 125and, for example between the first finger portion 140 and thumb portion130. In one embodiment, the finger portions 125 may be formed with atleast one finger portion adapted to encompass more than one finger. Forexample, one embodiment of the invention may include separate fingerportions for each of the thumb, first finger, and second finger, with afurther single finger portion adapted to encompass both the third andfourth fingers of the wearer.

In one embodiment, the glove 100 can include one or more paddingelements adapted to provide padding and protection for a portion of thehand. These padding elements can be positioned over any appropriateportion of the glove 100 and can, for example, include one or morepadding portions spanning different regions of the back portion 110 ofthe glove 100. For example, the glove 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B includes afirst padding portion 150 covering the back portion 110 of the baseportion 115 of the hand, a second padding portion 155 positioned tocover the knuckles of the hand, a third padding portion 160 positionedover the back of the thumb portion 130 of the hand, and a plurality offinger padding portions 165 covering the backs of the finger portions125, with gaps 170 separating these various portions to enable theflexing of the hand and glove 100.

In another embodiment the glove 100 can include padding elements havingsurface texturing thereon, with the surface texturing providingperformance benefits such as increased flexibility and increased gripbetween the padding elements and an object with which it is interacting(e.g., a soccer ball being punched by a goalkeeper). For example, theglove 100 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B includes first finger paddingelements 175 having a first texture extending over the first finger andsecond finger of the glove 100, with second finger padding elements 180having a second texture extending over the third finger and the thirdand fourth knuckle regions of the glove 100. The glove 100 furtherincludes a third padding portion 185 extending over the outer side ofthe base portion 115, and fourth padding portions 186 extending overportions of the thumb portion 130. The texturing of the first fingerpadding elements 175 and second finger padding elements 180 includes across-hatched pattern, with the cross-hatching having a different sizein each portion. In alternative embodiments various padding elements caninclude texturing of any appropriate pattern, size, and shape.

The front portion 105 of the glove 100 can also incorporate a paddedmaterial. For example, the front portion 105 shown in FIG. 2A includes apadded front portion 105 formed as a unitary padded element 187extending over the entirety of the front of the glove 100, while thefront portion 105 shown in FIG. 1A includes a padded front portion 105formed as a plurality of padding elements 195 extending over the frontof the glove 100 with flex grooves 190 separating the padding elements195. In one embodiment, the flex grooves 190 can completely separate thevarious padding elements, while in another embodiment the flex groovescan be formed as indentations, cuts, or other structural dividersincorporated into a unitary padding element.

In one embodiment, one or more portions of the padded front portion 105can extend around the sides of the glove 100 in one or more regions andcan, in one embodiment, extend onto the rear portion 110 of the glove100. For example, the unitary padded element 187 of FIG. 2A extends fromthe front portion 105 to the rear portion 110 around the thumb portion130 and the outer side of the base portion 115 of the glove 100 to formthe third padding portion 185 and fourth padding portions 186.

In alternative embodiments, any appropriate distribution of paddingelements may be utilized, depending upon the specific performance,protection, and comfort requirements of the glove 100. These paddingelements can be made from any appropriate material and can, for example,include or consist essentially of, a natural or synthetic latex and,more particularly, a latex foam, or a rubber (e.g., styrene butadienerubber (SBR)). The base material for the glove 100, onto which thepadded elements are attached (for example through stitching and/orbonding) can include one or more knit, woven, non-woven natural orsynthetic material, and can, for example, include, or consistessentially of, a synthetic rubber such as polychloroprene (and, forexample, Neoprene®, as manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours andCompany of Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.), latex, polyester, polyester mesh,and/or EVA.

An example finger engagement element 200 for placement within fingerportions 125 of the glove 100 is shown in FIGS. 3A through 3C. Thefinger portion 125 includes a front portion 205 covering a front of afinger 210, a backhand portion 215 covering a back of the finger 210,and side gusset portions 220 connecting the front portion 205 to thebackhand portion 215 on the sides of the finger 210. In one embodiment,the front portion 205 and/or backhand portion 215, or regions thereof,are formed from a single material layer. In an alternative embodiment,the front portion 205 and/or backhand portion 215, or regions thereof,are formed from a multi-layered material (e.g., a composite or laminatedmaterial package) and, for example, a base layer covered by an outerlayer of a material selected to provide appropriate cushioning andtraction characteristics (such as, for example, a latex foam). The baselayer may be formed from any appropriate knit, woven, non-woven, orotherwise formed natural or synthetic material (or a blend thereof) andcan, for example, be formed from a polychloroprene. In variousembodiments, the front portion 205 and/or backhand portion 215 caninclude addition material layers and, for example, include an innerliner material of an appropriate knit, woven, non-woven, or otherwiseformed natural or synthetic material adapted to provide a comfortablematerial next to the skin of the hand. In various embodiments, the sidegusset regions 220 can include, or consist essentially of, an elastic orinelastic knit, woven, non-woven, or otherwise formed natural orsynthetic material such as, but not limited to, an elastic mesh materialsuch as latex, polyester, polyester mesh, performance mesh, and/orpolyurethane (PU).

The finger engagement element 200 is formed from a resilient material(for example, a strip, a thread, yarn, cord, or string) of elongateelastic textile material that is connected to the front portion 205 andconfigured to stretch over the back of the finger 210 and resilientlybias/hold the finger 210 against the front portion 205. The material ofthe finger engagement element 200 can include, or consist essentiallyof, a natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyester-polyurethanecopolymer, polychloroprene (e.g., Neoprene®), elastene, spandex, Lycra®(as manufactured by Invista S.a.r.l. of Witchita, Kans.), EVA,polyester, latex, and/or a polyester/latex composite. The materialproperties of the finger engagement element 200 are selected to providesufficient strength and resilience to hold the front portion 205 to thefront of the finger 210, but be soft and flexible enough to do sowithout reducing the flexibility of the fingers 210 during flexing orbending. This can be achieved by using a flexible elastic textile thatis sized to ensure an elastic force is applied to the finger 210 whenworn but soft and supple enough to easily bend, with minimal resistance,along with a bending motion of the fingers 210.

The finger engagement element 200 shown in FIGS. 3A-3C is positionednear a distal portion 225 of the finger portion 125, and is positionedto extend over a portion of a distal phalange region 240 of the finger210, a portion of the intermediate phalange region 245, and the joint250 therebetween. In an alternative embodiment, the finger engagementelement 200 can be positioned over any portion of the tip, centralregion, and/or base region of the finger 210 and, for example, over anyportion of any of the distal phalange region 240, intermediate phalangeregion 245, and/or proximal phalange region 255 of the finger 210 of thewearer, or the joints 250 therebetween. The finger engagement element200 can be of any appropriate width (W) and can, for example have awidth of between about 10% to about 50% of a length of the fingerportion 125, or between about 20% to about 40% percent of a length ofthe finger portion 125, or between about 30% to about 40% of the lengthof the finger portion 125. In alternative embodiments, longer or shorterfinger engagement elements 200 can be used.

The distal ends 235 of the finger engagement element 200 may be fixedlyconnected to or proximate the front portion 205. Moreover, the fingerengagement element 200 is long enough to allow the finger 210 of thewearer to slide between the central portion 230 of the finger engagementelement 200 and the front portion 205. The distal ends 235 of the fingerengagement elements 200 are attached at seams 260, 265 connecting thefront portion 205 to the side gussets 220. The length of the fingerengagement element 200 (i.e., the elongate span of the finger engagementelement 200 between the first seam 260 and second seam 265) can beselected such that it must be stretched in order to extend over thefinger 210, thereby ensuring that it will apply an elastic force to holdthe finger 210 against the front portion 205. More particularly, thelength of the elastic finger engagement element 200 can be selected toprovide any appropriate degree of biasing/force to hold the front of thefinger 210 against the front portion 205, with shorter finger engagementelements 200 having to be stretched more to extend over the finger 210and therefore providing a greater elastic biasing force. The degree ofbiasing can be selected to provide optimized fit and comfort for thewearer. In an alternative embodiment, the finger engagement element 200can be formed from a substantially non-elastic material, with the lengthand size of the finger engagement element 200 selected to provide aclose-fitting engagement with the finger 210 to bias and hold it againstthe front portion 205.

In one embodiment, a plurality of finger engagement elements 200 can bepositioned within a single finger portion 125 to bias multiple portionsof the finger 210 against the front portion 205 thereof. For example,the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A through 4C includes a finger portion125 with a first finger engagement element 300 extending over a portionof the distal phalange region 240 of the finger 210, a portion of theintermediate phalange region 245, and the joint therebetween 250, and asecond finger engagement element 305 extending over a portion of theproximal phalange region 255 of the finger 210. In alternativeembodiments any number of finger engagement elements 200 can be usedwith, for example, separate finger engagement elements 200 in each ofthe distal phalange region 240, intermediate phalange region 245, andproximal phalange region 255.

In one embodiment, one or more connection elements 262 (FIG. 5C) can beused to connect the finger engagement element 200 and, for example, thecentral portion 230 thereof, to a backhand portion 215 of the fingerportion 125. The connection element 262, or elements, can include one ormore threads (e.g., elastic threads) stitched or otherwise connected tothe central portion 230 and the backhand portion 215 to hold the centralportion 230 away from the front portion 205 and thereby allow for easieraccess of the finger 210 between the finger engagement element 200 andthe front portion 205.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the finger engagementelements 200 are positioned within each of the finger portions 125,including the thumb portion 130. In an alternative embodiment, as shownin FIGS. 2A and 2B, the finger engagement elements 200 are positionedwithin the first, second, third, and fourth finger portions 125 but notin the thumb portion 130. In a further embodiment, the finger engagementelements 200 can be located within one or more finger portions 125.

The embodiment of FIG. 5A shows a finger 210 located within a fingerportion 125 with a finger engagement element 200 extending over the back320 of the finger 210 and being fixedly secured to the finger portion125 at the seams 260, 265. More particularly, the distal ends 235 of thefinger engagement elements 200 are placed between the edges of thegussets 220 and the edges of the front portion 205 so that a threadstitch line 267 can be used to fixedly hold the multiple layers togetherin a sandwich-like configuration. In one embodiment, a plurality ofstitch lines can be used, at least at the region where the fingerengagement elements 200 are secured, to further ensure a sufficientlystrong connection to hold the finger engagement elements 200 in placeduring use.

In an alternative embodiment, the distal ends 235 of the fingerengagement elements 200 can be fixedly attached to or proximate theseams 260, 265 by bonding and, for example, through use of an adhesivebonding agent. In one embodiment, the first seam 260 and second seam 265are formed as a unitary stitch line that extends around the distal tip280 of the finger portion 125. The various material portions can bestitched together by at least one thread. Alternatively, or in addition,the material portions can be bonded together by one or more bondingagents and, for example, an adhesive bonding agent.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the finger portion 125 can be formed from a frontportion 205 and a back portion 310 formed from a single material (ormaterial package), with the back portion 310 extending from the firstseam 260 and second seam 265 over the sides 315 and back 320 of thefinger 210 without the need for gusset portions extending over the sides315 of the finger 210 to separate and connect the front and back of theglove 100. This configuration can, in one embodiment, be used for thethumb portion 130 portion while gusseted finger portions 125 are used tocover the remaining fingers.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5C, a first stitch 325 can be usedto connect the front portion 205 to the gussets 220 (or with any side orback portion to be connected to the front portion 205) with a secondstitch 330 connecting the distal ends 235 of the finger engagementelement 200 to the front portion 205. The second stitch 330 can connectthe distal ends 235 of the finger engagement element 200 to anyappropriate region, or regions, of the front portion 205 or to a portionof each of the gusset portions 220 proximate the first seam 260 andsecond seam 265 (i.e., low enough down on the gusset portions 220 toensure a biasing force biasing the finger 210 towards the front portion205 is still provided).

As shown in FIG. 5D, one embodiment of the finger engagement element 200can utilize a closed loop of material 340 which is stitched, bonded, orotherwise attached to the front portion 205 and into which the finger210 can be extended to provide the means for positioning the finger 210within the finger portion 125. The closed loop of material 340 can, forexample, be a loop of elastic material which stretches over the finger210 or a substantially inelastic loop of material which fits snugglyover the finger 210.

In various alternative embodiments, the glove 100 can be constructedfrom any number and configuration of materials and can, for example, beformed from a unitary material package that is cut and shaped to createthe entire glove 100. For example, one embodiment of the invention caninclude a glove 100 having finger portions 125 that are formed from asingle unitary expanse of material, with the finger engagement element200 attached to or proximate a front portion 205 of the material in anyof the manners described herein.

In one embodiment, finger engagement elements 200 can be installed intoa glove 100 after construction by, for example, providing loops ofmaterial that can be placed on the fingers 210 and treated with abonding mechanism (e.g., an adhesive), after which the fingers 210 areslipped into the glove 100 and held in place while the bonding mechanismsets. After the bonding mechanism has set the fingers 210 can beremoved, with the finger engagement element 200 remaining in placewithin the finger portions 125 at the locations specifically selected bythe wearer. This allows the finger engagement elements 200 to beprovided as a separate item that can be applied to any previouslymanufactured athletic glove.

An example glove 100 incorporating finger engagement elements 200 in thefirst, second, third, and fourth finger portions 125, but not in a thumbportion 130, is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, with the glove 100 including afront portion 105 (with front finger portions 205), a backhand portion110 (including backhand portions 215), and gusset portions 220 extendingtherebetween on the finger portions 125. The internal slings (fingerengagement elements 200) are positioned in the distal portions 225 ofthe finger portions 125 to create the biasing mechanism necessary tohold the fingers 210 against the front portion 105 and provide theimproved performance benefits that the invention allows for.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoingembodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respectsillustrative rather than limiting the invention described herein. Scopeof the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims, rather thanby the foregoing description, and all changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to beembraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A glove, comprising: a base portion; and aplurality of finger portions, each finger portion comprising: a firstmaterial region adapted to cover a front of a wearer's finger when theglove is being worn; a second material region adapted to cover a back ofthe wearer's finger when the glove is being worn; a first seamconnecting the first material region to the second material region on afirst side of the corresponding finger portion; and a second seamconnecting the first material region to the second material region on asecond side of the corresponding finger portion, wherein at least onefinger portion further comprises a finger engagement element locatedbetween the first material region and the second material region andextending from the first seam to the second seam, the finger engagementelement adapted to extend over a back portion of the wearer's fingerwhen the glove is being worn and to resiliently bias a front portion ofthe wearer's finger against the first material region.
 2. The glove ofclaim 1, wherein the finger engagement element comprises a resilientmaterial.
 3. The glove of claim 2, wherein the resilient materialcomprises an elongate elastic textile material.
 4. The glove of claim 3,wherein the elongate elastic textile material comprises a materialselected from the group consisting of natural rubber, synthetic rubber,polyester-polyurethane copolymer, polychloroprene, elastene, spandex,EVA, polyester, latex, and a polyester/latex composite.
 5. The glove ofclaim 1, wherein the finger engagement element comprises an elongatestrip of resilient material extending over at least a portion of atleast one of a distal phalange region and an intermediate phalangeregion of the glove.
 6. The glove of claim 5, wherein the elongate stripof resilient material has a width of between about 10% to about 50% of alength of the finger portion.
 7. The glove of claim 5, wherein theelongate strip of resilient material has a width of between about 20% toabout 40% percent of a length of the finger portion.
 8. The glove ofclaim 1, wherein the finger engagement element comprises a plurality ofstrips of resilient material, each strip of resilient material extendingover at least a portion of at least one of a distal phalange region, anintermediate phalange region, and a proximal phalange region of theglove.
 9. The glove of claim 1, wherein the second material regioncomprises: a first gusset portion extending from the first seamproximate a first side of the wearer's finger; a second gusset portionextending from the second seam proximate a second side of the wearer'sfinger; and a backhand portion extending over a back of the glove andconnecting to the first gusset portion and the second gusset portion.10. The glove of claim 9, wherein the first gusset portion and secondgusset portion comprise a different material from that of the firstmaterial region and backhand portion.
 11. The glove of claim 9, whereina portion of the finger engagement element is attached to at least oneof the first and second gusset portions.
 12. The glove of claim 1,wherein the first seam is integrally connected to the second seamproximate a distal tip of the finger portion.
 13. The glove of claim 1,wherein the first material region and second material region arestitched together at the first seam and second seam by at least onethread.
 14. The glove of claim 13, wherein the finger engagement elementis connected to the first seam and second seam by the at least onethread.
 15. The glove of claim 1, wherein the finger engagement elementfurther comprises a connection element connecting the finger engagementelement to at least a portion of the second material region.
 16. Theglove of claim 15, wherein the connection element is adapted to hold thefinger engagement element open, away from the first material region. 17.The glove of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first material regionand the second material region comprises at least one flex element. 18.The glove of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first material regionand the second material region comprises at least one padding element.19. A glove, comprising: a base portion; a thumb portion; and aplurality of finger portions, each finger portion comprising: a firstmaterial region adapted to cover a front of a wearer's finger when theglove is being worn; a second material region adapted to cover a back ofthe wearer's finger when the glove is being worn; a first seamconnecting the first material region to the second material region on afirst side of the corresponding finger portion; a second seam connectingthe first material region to the second material region on a second sideof the corresponding finger portion; and a finger engagement elementcomprising a strip of resilient material located between the firstmaterial region and the second material region and extending from thefirst seam to the second seam within the finger portion, the fingerengagement element adapted to extend over at least one of a distalphalange region and an intermediate phalange region of the glove andextend over a back portion of the wearer's finger when the glove isbeing worn to resiliently bias a front portion of the wearer's fingeragainst the first material region.
 20. A glove, comprising: a baseportion; and a plurality of finger portions, each finger portioncomprising: a first material region adapted to cover a front of awearer's finger when the glove is being worn; a second material regionadapted to cover a back of the wearer's finger when the glove is beingworn; a first seam connecting the first material region to the secondmaterial region on a first side of the corresponding finger portion; anda second seam connecting the first material region to the secondmaterial region on a second side of the corresponding finger portion,wherein at least one finger portion further comprises a fingerengagement element located between the first material region and thesecond material region and extending from one or more locations on atleast one of the first material region and the second material region,the finger engagement element adapted to extend over a back portion ofthe wearer's finger when the glove is being worn and to resiliently biasa front portion of the wearer's finger against the first materialregion.